-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For many people , the name Sierra Leone still conjures up images of the country 's decade-long civil war and subsequent war crimes trials .

However , eight years after the end of the war , the country is hoping that tourism will be the key to its future prosperity .

One organization with an innovative plan to attract the visitors back is Tribewanted , a project to build an eco-tourism community on John Obey beach , 20 miles from the capital Freetown .

From October , the project hopes to attract tourists paying $ 450 a week to live in the community and help build a sustainable tourist village on the beach . The price includes all meals and a contribution to the community development . In addition , visitors will pay for their flights and transfers from the airport .

Ben Keene , co-founder of Tribewanted , told CNN , `` We are going to be working with the local community of John Obey . We are going to build our village on this tiny peninsula and this is going to be our new life . ''

This is the second Tribewanted project . The first began four years ago on the Fijian island of Vorovoro , which the organization claims has injected more than $ 1million into the local economy .

Elijah Eccles , a John Obey villager working as a cook on the project , told CNN , `` We want to have tourists coming in so a lot of people will have a job to do .

`` We used to work with tourists before , but because of the war everything broke down , '' he explained . `` But we want the tourists to start to come again . ''

Daniel Macauley , another local working for Tribewanted , said : `` I believe that eco-tourism will be good for development because the locals will be involved and we are controlling it . It will help to develop the community and other areas like schools and healthcare .

`` We are sending out a message to the world that Sierra Leone is open for people to come and visit , to actually see what we can give to them , '' he continued .

`` There 's a lot to come and see : the people , of course , and the country and also the nature we have , '' he said .

Filippo Bozotti , co-founder of Tribewanted , told CNN , `` It 's the perfect project for Tribewanted to partner up with the local community for sustainable development .

`` We are looking for this to be a long sustainable project that helps the community in the long-term , '' he added .

The area has already come a long way since the devastation of the civil war , which ended in 2002 with the help of a 17,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission .

`` What 's amazing is this whole place has been built up since the end of the war , so these villages have been built completely from scratch , '' said Keene .

The World Travel Guide , which describes itself as the `` bible '' of the travel industry , said Sierra Leone was trying to recreate the tourist trade it enjoyed before the war , when 100,000 foreign visitors came every year for its natural beauty , secluded white sandy beaches and unspoilt rainforests .

The guide said : `` The government is starting from scratch , going back to basics to entice foreign travelers to return to this small corner of Africa . ''

It said Sierra Leone was modeling its tourism development on that of nearby Gambia .

The UK 's Foreign and Commonwealth Office warns its travelers of petty crime , poor infrastructure and few health facilities .

It said : `` Transport infrastructure is poor . None of the options for transferring between the international airport at Lungi and Freetown are risk-free . ''

The website VisitSierraLeone.org describes Freetown peninsula as `` a taste of paradise '' .

It said : `` Probably offering the greatest potential in the tourism industry , the beaches along the Freetown Peninsula are a sight to behold .

`` As tourism is still a developing industry in Sierra Leone , the beaches are not overwhelmed with visitors which means that most are still in pristine condition and on a weekday you could have an amazing beach entirely to yourself . ''

A U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal in Freetown convened to try militia leaders on both sides of the civil war ended in October 2009 after seven years .

Former Liberian leader Charles Taylor is still on trial in The Hague accused of instigating atrocities during the war in Sierra Leone .

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Sierra Leone 's tourist infrastructure collapsed during its 10-year civil war

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Tribewanted will ask visitors to help build a sustainable tourist village

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Sierra Leone wants to emulate nearby Gambia 's tourist success